Counting Kisses
by kudos93
Summary: Aang can't sleep and uses the time to think about none other than Katara. When he wanders off into the woods to avoid Sokka's sleep talking, what will happen the next morning? Set after Sozin's comet.


AN: AHHHHH

AN: AHHHHH! Plot Bunnies won't leave me alone. I wrote this in like two hours in between doing chemistry homework. It's my first Avatar story…hope you like it.

Disclaimer: I don't own Avatar…and I despise you for rubbing it in.

XOXOXOX

Sometimes, life sucks.

Well most of the time actually, when it comes to my life.

So I get twelve happy years, then I'm literally frozen in time, and I wake up a hundred years later in the middle of a war. So I do my spiritual duty, save the world and whatnot, and after all of that hardship, I'm stuck with girl problems.

Well, I don't consider being in love with the most perfect girl in the entire world girl problems. I call being in an almost kind of not really relationship with her, all the while fearing that her brother will bash my head in with a blunt object while I sleep. That's my problem.

Well not even the brother part, he probably wouldn't bash my head in. He'd break something less important, like my elbow. I mean, most people would let a murder for your sister's virtue go, but killing the avatar, that's some capital punishment. Man, fate is funny isn't it? One day it's throwing me into the fighting ring with an epically strong dictator and the next it's saving me from my crush's bigger than me brother. Not that size really matters, just in principle it's kind of scary to look up at someone who you know might hold a grudge.

So it's the relationship part that's keeping me awake right now. I mean that first time we kissed it was in a really dark cave and I think that I got her nose, not that she'd ever say anything. And then the second time, I was afraid I was going to die and did it on an impulse. Who's to say that she wasn't being impulsive too? She could have very easily died too. Maybe she just wanted her first kiss, not on the nose, before she died. Even the nose kiss was probably just some insurance that she doesn't die without a first kiss. I mean I definitely was about dying alone. Who am I to judge?

Oh, and then the third kiss. The kiss that ripped my heart out, and threw it onto hot cinders and stepped on it. The kiss where she pulled away and told me no. Again I never actually should have assumed that she wanted to kiss me. We all do stupid stuff in life threatening situations. And I probably should have at least attempted to articulate my feelings to her, talk it through. Instead, I jump on her and start attempting to kiss her. I don't know why I chose that technique, I probably feel like some sick slobbery vacuum. I definitely should have talked; at least I know that I'm semi competent in that.

And then our fourth kiss. The most ethereally perfect and happiest moment of my entire life. The way her lips moved over mine still drove me crazy whenever I was stupid enough to think about it, like now. As I touched my lips, I could've sworn that they were softer after being in the presence of hers.

That kiss, I hadn't even known was real until Toph teased me about it the next day. And alerted Sokka to the fact that someone was kissing his sister. This brings me back to the violent big brother problem.

Even right now I could hear him talking in his sleep.

"Just bring the arm over here…no it has to look like it's attached…that'll teach him." If it weren't for Suki lying on his arm, he probably would've sleepwalked his way to my murder by now.

I sat up. This pretending to be asleep while Sokka dreams of my murder crap was getting old. I looked again around the campsite. Spotting Katara, across the fire pit from me, while Zuko slumbered peacefully 10 feet away. That was a little close.

I tiptoed towards them, eventually just air bending myself there in one silent leap. Zuko was gently pushed about 20 more feet away from Katara. I would've gone further but the clearing ended here. Tough luck. The fire bender seemed to have some strange idea that he was moving and his legs kicked softly until he settled into the new patch of ground that was bestowed to him.

I was frankly a little miffed that Zuko decided to accompany us to go and see the Bei Fongs. Didn't he have Firelordy business to attend to? I glared at the undesirably small distance between Katara and Zuko, before marching into the woods, grumbling to myself.

I trudged forward for a couple of minutes before sitting on a log. They were abundant in the ancient forest. The cool dampness of the seat beneath me was calming in a strange way. Communing with nature. I leaned my head into my hands, and closed my eyes, concentrating on the fresh smell of the cool night air.

I managed to let go of my thoughts and drift into a peaceful sleep. I was jerked awake must too quickly by a gentle hand on my shoulder. I arched my back, trying to work out the kinks that sleeping a few hours in a compromising position had caused. I rubbed my eyes and reluctantly opened them, only to close them again in the face of the white hot sunlight.

"Aang, what are you doing out here? I was worried sick!" I looked up into the face of the livid water bender. It was only a courtesy, her voice captured my full attention whenever I heard it.

"I couldn't sleep, so I came out here to think, and I guess I drifted off?" I tactfully left out the part where her brother had discussed killing someone whom I assumed was me in his unconscious state.

"I was afraid that you had been captured. We did run into those rogue soldiers the other day…" She trailed off and took a seat next to me. My heart rate increased slightly at her closeness. I could feel the heat rolling off of her leg in waves. I fought an internal battle, not to just grab her and kiss her again. Add some more bewilderment to my tangled web of confusion.

"Nah, sorry I worried you though" I didn't exactly know what to say, but I was surprised that I could say anything at all. My breath caught as she pushed her mahogany locks behind her shoulder.

"So…Toph is still sleeping and Sokka is annoying Zuko again" I smiled which immediately made me wonder if Katara was smiling, so I looked and looking at her made me want to kiss her. It was like a conspiracy against me, everything made me want to kiss her.

"What'd he do this time?" I was genuinely curious, at the same time as I missed the jewel tone of her voice.

"He insists on starting the fire 'the old fashioned way'." She air quoted Sokka's words as she lowered her voice, attempting to imitate him. I thought it was adorable. I fought the urge to grab her arm and kiss every inch of it. "Zuko keeps trying to light the kindling in a way that Sokka won't notice it and then Sokka puts it out with a canteen and sends Zuko to get more firewood that isn't soaked. If they don't stop it, we're going to have fried Sokka for breakfast."

She smiled absently, digging the toe of her boot into the earth. About a minute passed in comfortable silence, before it slowly faded into awkwardness. Katara shifted on the log, acting as if she was about to get up. Now or never. I reached out and grabbed her arm, causing her to look towards me in surprise.

"What Aang?" She looked concerned, I'll bet I had a crazy look in my eye. I felt crazy, crazy and desperate.

"Is it awkward for you too?"

"Is what awkward for me?" The glowing blush on her cheeks told me that she knew very well what I was talking about. I would've been frustrated if I wasn't so nervous.

"You know, after um…ya" I gave up, willing to let the topic slide for now. I'd attack it after my courage crop came up. That and Appa forgot how to fly, and I grow a moustache.

"No…Um I mean maybe…" She actually answered my question. She was angles slightly towards me on the bench, our knees barely touching. Even the innocent contact gave me shivers.

"I'm sorry about the first one"

"What do you mean?" She smiled shyly at me. I really hoped that we were talking about the same thing.

"Well, I kind of got your nose…" I blushed a deeper crimson than I had thought possible until right then.

"Only because I leaned down too far and got your chin" We laughed in whispers, I was laughing from nervousness. I had no idea why Katara was laughing.

"So do you count that?" She asked shyly after a few moments.

"I dunno. I don't count all of those times you kissed me on the cheek"

"Me neither. I mean I kiss my grandma on the cheek too" She laughed a little louder this time. My heart thumped unevenly in my chest.

"I guess that means it doesn't count" I sounded forlorn, I'd been telling myself that I'd kissed Katara four times. Now knowing that it was only three somehow managed to make it less significant.

"Why so sad?" Her gaze penetrated my mental filter, meaning that I had no control over what came out of my mouth next.

"Because I want to go to sleep knowing that I kissed you 4 times, not 3."

"Why 4?" She wrinkled her nose in a cute way. It managed to keep me talking. Damn her perfection.

"Because 3 isn't enough. Heck, 4 isn't either but it's closer –" She had cut off my thought by pressing her lips to mine. My arms automatically fell to her waist and my eyes closed in pure bliss.

Her lips felt like wet satin next to mine, and they seemed to warm me to my very core as they moved against me. Her arms linked around my neck and I felt as if I'd found the missing piece that I'd never known that I'd lost.

We pulled away for air after it became a necessity and Katara laid her head on my shoulder. I smiled broadly. I knew one thing for certain, this kiss was only because we wanted to. It was real not backed by threats of doom or congratulatory circumstances, nor tainted by rejection. It was my first real kiss.

XOXOXOX

AN: So Review please! I'll even accept flames, even though they're mean. Just let me know that you aren't a mindless robot who had no opinion. Just kidding, If you review I'll love you. NO JOKE! BEWARE! OOOOOH!

Yeah I'm done…so review time now.


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